Smugness

My name is Andrea, and I'm a yarnaholic.

The minute I decided to stop buying yarn was the minute I was extremely tempted to buy yarn. I wandered by Tricoterie's etsy store, where I constantly drool over what I might buy, especially the laceweight. I geared myself up for a session of drooling over my keyboard, and what happened?

She has Twilight Yarn. I ended up in tears of laughter.

If you ever want a giggle, tell Felix you loved the Twilight book series. He rants. It's really funny, but also familiar. Mention airlines and knitting rules and the Australian government, and I rant. But Felix is really fuuny when he does it.

The yarn crisis averted I turned back to what I have. So, here's my birthday present from Chantal.














Here Be Dragons shawl and two skeins of Alpaca with a Twist Fino! I LOVE Chantal so much. She is very very good with knitting presents. Very good.

So, as soon as I finish my Incoming socks and my Garden Shawl, I have my next project already waiting.

Yarn shopping unnecessary.

An aim, not a resolution - Part 2

Just a few points to clear up.

1. Felix will not be buying yarn on my behalf, not even with unsubtle hints or outright begging. He is buying the yarn for a Doctor Who scarf for me to knit up, but believe me that's definitely not through my begging for it. Who'd beg to knit up 14 feet of scarf?!?
2. All yarn related emails will be deleted from my inbox - sorry, but temptation is far too great sometimes, and I really don't want to risk it.
3. No yarn expeditions, no matter what. Just walking in to the places causes my purse to come out and next thing I know I have yarn and less money, all because EFTPos is too easy.

Hope that clears it up. Now to go away and put on my hair shirt.

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Currently I'm knitting a scarf. A long scarf. A scarf with 398 stitches. This is not my scarf, it is the work of Jade, my knitting conspirator. It's her third project and it's a (belated) Christmas present for one of her friends. So now it's late and I also want my Clover 4.5mm circular back (it's Clover for pity's sake!).

It's not exactly my kind of colour range either. Imagine if Rainbow Brite was run over by a massive ball of acrylic...

An aim, not a resolution

Due to a massive party last night, today's post is a day late. I would like to apologise, and also to speak on those rumours about myself, Jade and Yutika and the Twister mat: no comment.

Today was a yarny sort of a day with a trip to buy the loveliest burgandy sock yarn for my da, to be knitted up in the Yarn Harlot's Earl Grey pattern. For solid colour sock yarn lovers, visit here. Fabulous range of straight, non-pooling yarn - perfect! I wended my way back to show my prize to Felix who promptly asked "Don't you have enough sock yarn?"

After my initial shock and response of "Are you INSANE?!?!?!?" I calmed down and thought about it a bit. I don't own that much sock yarn, actually. I have another 4 balls of Patonyle, some leftovers from my Entrelac Socks, some Wired for Fibre Rita and one rare ball of Opal Ladybird. Compared to some, that's quite minor. I also have yarn that could be used as sock yarn, various DK's etc, but still not that much.

Rose Red is having her own personal Sock of the Month Club, and I thought it was a fabulous idea - take 12 sock yarns, put them in brown paper bags and pull one out each month to make a pair of socks. I was planning my own version, where my mum will send me some sock yarn each month from my stash, having already had a head start with my Incoming!!! socks - I brought the ball of Tofutsies with me.

Felix's comment gave me pause for thought. I own an awfully large amount of yarn, almost all of it in plastic bags with the pattern I have planned for it inclosed. So, I've had an idea I'd like to suggest. This is a New Year aim not a resolution - no guilt for breaking it.

I, Andrea of Let Me Knit, hereby swear to try and live a year without buying more yarn.

I swear that when I feel the need to start a new project I shall send for a plastic stash bag and knit whatever is chosen for me. I declare that any purchases by others for me do not count and are therefore not only welcomed, but highly encouraged. I promise that I shall have a full 48 hours of amnesty for the Bendigo Wool and Sheep Show, but not to go over the top with shopping frenzy.

So it is written, so it shall be done. Well, hopefully!

Finished Objects 2009 - #2

I like my new beret - for 'tis slouchy.














(Felix is working tonight, so I'm afraid the only pictures I have of the beret in use are very MySpace-y)














The third repeat that I added on made the difference. The beret is deep enough to be loose, but the brim is perfect for my gianormous skull. Feel free to add any jokes you deem appropriate.

In other knitting news I am but a toe shaping away from finishing sock #1 in my "Incoming!!!" socks. Fine yarn, small needles, 64 stitches per row. There was some bribery involved to make me knit these so swiftly.














Zenses Rainforest and Jewel Masters, both on the DS. 5 minutes knitting, 1 brief game. 5 minutes knitting, 1 brief game. Seemed to work, actually. Odd.

What next?

Yesterday I managed to knock myself out using a ceiling beam. It's a lot easier than you think. The result was a lazy day, full of knitting - the best kind.

I worked tirelessly on my Meret (Mystery Beret) and succeeded in wrapping it up by 9pm. Then I tried it on. Then I ripped it back.















I added one repeat "for extra slouch". Turns out if you have a freakishly large head -as I do - an extra two or three repeats might be better. I'll see if I can get the stupid thing finished by the end of today.

I also came to a very hard decision about my SoleSilkSkein (One-Skein Wonder). It's a great pattern, easy to follow, and I'm glad I bought it. I was using Noro Silk Garden, in the most wonderful colours and it's a fantastic yarn.



















But not together. So I'm frogging the project and saving my two balls of Silk Garden for something else. For some reason, I feel like a nice cabled tea cosy.

As I need another small project until I can get a 3.5mm circular for my Garden Shawl (no-one around here has one!) I started a set of Tidal Wave socks for my mum. I had bought the yarn specifically with me to make her a pair, so socks it is. The cast on was probably the most fun - Twisted German Cast On. It's a new skill, and I'm rather chuffed about it.














I keep getting images of Goethe in my head as I say "Twisted German Cast On". Or Armin Meiwes.

Messing about in blogs

Self explanitory, really. I'd do more, but it's 2:16am and I'm thinking sleep will help.

Finished Objects 2009 - #1

Feel the smugness! Less than a week in and I'm one project down.


















This is the Celtic Hearts Shawl, by Simple Knits, and it is fast. Really fast. I finished it in a week, with two days off in the middle - ridiculous! It's an 8-ply (DK) knit, and the pattern is easy to follow. I'd recommend this to anyone.



















It's a birthday present for my nana at the end of the month, so I'm posting it out on Friday. We're planning a jaunt up to Glamis Castle on Thursday, and my two grandmothers will need photos and details about that, so I'll send it all together.

My Garden Shawl is currently is hiatus, all because I don't have a circular knitting needle. The nearest wool store doesn't have a 3.5mm circular, and it's a 20 minute walk to the next store. I wouldn't mind, but it's snowing intermittently today. Walking whilst being snowed upon is far less fun than you'd think. Snowflakes are pointy when they hit your eyeball.

New year, new knits!

Thus begins a new year of knitting, and I hope you all had a lovely safe New Year celebration, wherever you are. Mine was cold. Very very cold.

I had to wait until the 2nd to start my first project for the year, my Garden Shawl. It is beautiful and very very scary. 180 rows isn't too much, unless you're increasing every row, each row has some form of patterning, and you can never ever stop counting rows (two different row counts at all times).


















I was feeling rather confident after the set up rows, but now the enthusiasm is flagging, the adrenalin is wearing down and the long slog is before me. I like the long slog because it affords you those lovely moments, the ones where you suddenly remember how much you love the patten, or the yarn becomes even softer, or you get the rhythm just right and suddenly you're flying through the rows.

I'm so looking forward to that bit.